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SHOTOKAN KARATE AND EXTREME TEAM MARTIAL ARTS | Portfolium
SHOTOKAN KARATE AND EXTREME TEAM MARTIAL ARTS
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November 22, 2013 in Athletics
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Competing in the 18+ division at a local Karate point sparring competition. My father placed me in my first karate class when I was nine years old as a response to me being bullied in school. This was a pivotal moment in my life because karate shapes who I am today. My first instructor, Sensei Gary Dunlap, taught me to not only control and discipline my body, but to also control and discipline my mind. Three times a week for 2 hour sessions, I would train under him alongside my brothers practicing forms and fighting. Moreover, he would teach us the philosophy of many great thinkers in world history such as Martin Luther King, Ghandi, and Gichin Funakishi (The founder of Shotokan Karate, the style in which I train), to name a few. Taking the time to learn about the teachings of these intriguing people ultimately built my character over the years.
When I was thirteen years old, I received my black belt in Shotokan karate and transferred to a new karate school called Extreme Team Martial Arts. Here I trained under Mr. Charlie Zarza and Michael Andresen. In this school, I was pushed to my limits and discovered that everyday life is just a mind game. I realized that I could push past my body's limits if my mind chose to. This could be applied to everyday life as well, especially during times of stress. In this team, I learned that we, as a unit, were only as strong as the weakest link. If one of us messed up, that would imply push ups for the entire class. Thus, we strove to push each other for the betterment of our team and ourselves as individuals and to prevent more push ups. I am also able to apply this to everyday life, to family, to the organizations I am a part of, and to my community. We all help each other to grow and we don't leave anyone behind.
Receiving my black belt in Extreme Team Martial Arts is one of the accomplishments that I am most proud of. I trained rigorously every day for 2 months straight in preparation for my black belt test. The first day of testing consisted of running the Monterey bay back and forth, a total of 21 miles. After that run, we performed punches and kicks knee deep in the ice cold water and demonstrated our grappling techniques with a partner while throwing each other many times into the biting cold. Our muscles would cramp up due to our body being hot from the run suddenly being exposed to the cold temperature of the ocean. When we did get a cramp, however, we would be dragged out of the water by our instructors, stretch until our cramp went away, and then go back into the water to continue our testing. This was then followed by relays on a football field, kicks all the way around a track multiple times, and relays up and down a steep sandy hill, at times with a partner on our back. This first day of testing gave me the best sleep of my life. After this day, I was not able to walk normally for a week; I had to use crutches. This is a direct example of the mind game I was talking about earlier in which I am capable of surpassing my body's limits if my mind chooses to. There were so many instances when I wanted to collapse and give up, but I decided to keep on pushing.
The second day of testing was in our dojo and consisted of endless punches, kicks, blocks, jump kicks, a demonstration of our forms, and then fighting. I say fighting instead of sparring because we were literally attempting to knock each other out. We were at first paired one on one, and then two on one, and then three on one to simulate a street fight in which you were to get jumped. I remember being knocked to the ground multiple times and opening my eyes in a daze and asking myself "Why am I here?" It was great! But all in all, receiving my black belt was a huge accomplishment for me in that it was something I gave my all in and reaped the rewards. My blood, sweat, and tears literally went into my black belt and from that day on, I wear it with pride. Now, I teach karate classes and preach what I have learned in karate to the next generation of mind and body perfectionists.
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Joshua Benedictos